They were rescued from the house where they were allegedly kept by Mr Castro after Ms Berry kicked open a door and called police with the help of a neighbour.

When officials arrived they rescued Ms Knight and Ms DeJesus, as well as Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, fathered by Mr Castro.

The three women were abducted after accepting car rides from Mr Castro, police said. Neighbours said they did not think anyone had been living in the house where they were imprisoned.

Ms Knight said five pregnancies ended after her captor starved her for at least two weeks and "repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried", according to the authorities.

She also said she was forced to help deliver Ms Berry's daughter and was threatened with death if the infant did not survive. The baby stopped breathing and Ms Knight used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save it, authorities said.